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I always travel with my oil painting supplies but finding a good place to paint in a new place can be challenging. There is usually no shortage of scenery and Key West had lots of natural beauty, but if you paint from direct observation, you have to find a spot where you can set up safely and not be in anyones way. If you are traveling by car, a safe place to park must be found, and if you walk from your hotel it must be close enough to lug all your equipment, oh and it helps to be within reasonable distance of toilet facilities. So I was excited to find a spot near our hotel in Key West that met all these requirements with a gorgeous view of the sea and a smattering of distant boats. The day was perfect too. There was almost no wind, and the small clouds cast shadows that looked violet over the turquoise sea. I was ready with my already loaded pallette and a small canvas previously primed with some faint pink acrylic paint.

My husband helped carry some of my supplies before he left me to my painting and then he departed to do some sightseeing with our travel companions. He carefully checked my chosen spot. Not too busy, not too isolated. Not too near traffic but not really remote. He made sure I could actually carry everything back on my own.

I spent a while sketching and deciding on what composition I wanted and then picked out the big shapes with vine charcoal. I wanted to try out a new medium I had brought with me as a substitute for the usual medium I use (a mix of turpenoid, linseed oil and a touch of Damar varnish). That can be a problem for oil painters who travel since some of the components are prohibited on planes.I usually look for mineral spirits when I get to a new location but it can be hard to find, and I hate to leave almost full containers behind when its time to fly home. Instead I brought a synthetic gel medium and lots of brushes since I would not be able to clean them properly as I painted. It worked beautifully and I was actually able to clean most of the brushes fairly well with paper towels in the field and later used soap and water to clean them before packing them away.

After a few blissful hours in the zone, I had captured the scene to my satisfaction, when I had a visitor. A young man asked if he could see my work and was excited to see I had painted his boats as part of the scene. He made me an offer and I agreed on a sale. He got a bargain because I discounted it considerably since I wouldn't have to carry it home wet, frame it or find a place to show it and there was no commission due to anyone. I was happy to find someone who loved it and was willing to buy it there and then.

He took a selfie with me and the painting and I gave him my card. He arranged to meet me next morning in the hotel lobby and texted me later in the afternoon to say his wife loved the photo of the painting too. Next morning he was right on time with the cash in an envelope. He was happy because he liked my choices, especially that I included his boats. It was my first time selling a wet painting straight off the easel. I suggested he wait a month before framing it and off he went.

This experience really brought together for me my reasons for painting, The joy of the process has been my main motivation but the knowledge that it spoke to someone and brought them joy too is, for me, like a kind of completion. Painting seems to me like a language that it has been my privilege to learn. Its so nice to know its not a one way conversation.